Life

How To Pack The Perfect Picnic

Even the most loyal of Seamless fans can agree that few foodie experiences beat packing a picnic basket, grabbing a blanket, and heading to the nearest park with your friends for an afternoon of eating and drinking in the sunshine. It's a summertime bucket list favorite for a reason. And with a three-day weekend upon us (oh heyyyyy, Memorial Day), not just any picnic basket will do — you'll need the perfect picnic basket to make sure you are getting your summer off to the best possible start. I mean, come on. You aren't 10 years old anymore. Gone are the days when you'd settle for a PB&J and a juice box. Now you want food with substance. You want fresh fruit, yummy cold cuts, and all the cheese. And if you can fit a little booze in your basket too? Well, that's just the icing on top of the picnic-ready icebox cake.

Figuring out your picnic essentials is easy — it's trying to fit all of your dream foods into a single basket that's the tricky part. And there's nothing worse than lugging your stuff all the way to the park only to realize you left paper cups at home and now have no way of imbibing the bottle of pre-made Bloody Marys you have hiding at the bottom of your basket, ready to be consumed in a safe and responsible way, obviously. The sun may be shining, but you will be in a terrible mood. And really, after months and months of cold, freezing weather, you deserve to feel nothing short of wonderful during your first real outdoor adventure of the season. Here's everything you'll need for your perfect picnic — and how to get it all to fit inside one, single basket.

Bustle

First, pack your heavy items — like drinks and bottled beverages — at the bottom of your basket. These take up the most room, not to mention they're heavy, and you don't want them to crush everything else in your basket. Freeze them ahead of time so that they will stay cold, and keep the rest of the food in your basket chilled until you're ready to dig in.

Bustle

Then, add any other items you want to keep cold (like meat and cheeses) to the bottom of your basket where there's still room.

Bustle

Breads, crackers, cookies, and fruit that could easily be smushed can go in next.

Bustle

Throw in disposable plates and cups so you don't end up eating off the ground.

Bustle

Relax, and enjoy!

Check out the full video below, and for more cool ideas to try this summer, visit Bustle on YouTube.

Images: bodiaphoto/Fotolia; Video: Bianca Consunji and Kenny Suleimanagich/Bustle